Part 1: Work, after 1940
Work: After 1940 Waukegan factory output recovered during WWII and the post-war boom. In a profile published in the Chicago Tribune in 1951 that could have been written by the Waukegan Chamber of Commerce, Waukegan was praised as a “working man’s town-and how!” “The difference between Waukegan and the Gold Coast suburbs, from Evanston to Lake Bluff is emphasized by the position of Waukegan’s principle industrial district. It is right down on the lake shore in the front yard of the city…. The panorama might not please the esthetic, but few Waukegan residents find it offensive. The smoking stacks, the barn-like buildings are symbols of jobs and payrolls—vital considerations in a working man’s town.” Indeed, some of the biggest problems for the bustling town of 39,099 were a general housing shortage and a downtown parking shortage for the rapidly increasing automobile population. (1) For those using public transportation, there were a series of strike actions affecting ...